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RELEVANCE

The Internet Activity Survey (IAS) provides key statistics on the supply of internet services and the participation of Australians in internet activities, including subscriber numbers by access technologies, download speed, state and type of subscriber, and volume of data downloaded. The results are utilised by analysts in both the private and public sectors and are used in international comparisons of broadband penetration.

The IAS covers all Australian based Internet Service Providers (ISPs) at the end of the reference period. ISPs are defined as businesses that supply internet connectivity and access services to individuals, households, businesses, government and other organisations. Libraries, internet kiosks, internet cafes and hot-spots which provide internet access on a casual basis are excluded from the collection.

The source of the IAS population frame is the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsmen (TIO), with which ISPs are required to register.

The unit for which statistics are reported in the IAS is the legal entity providing internet access. ISPs in the IAS have been classified by size according to the number of subscribers ISPs reported for the end of the reference period. The size categories are defined as follows:

Very small ISP

1 - 100 subscribers

Small ISP

101 - 1,000 subscribers

Medium ISP

1.001 - 10,000 subscribers

Large ISP

10,001 - 100,000 subscribers

Very large ISP

100,001 + subscribers

TIMELINESS

The IAS includes information reported by all ISPs operating in Australia, with more than 1,000 active subscribers, as at 31 December and 30 June. Every three years a full census of all Australian ISPs, including those with 1,000 or less subscribers, is conducted. The last census of all ISPs was conducted in December 2008.

This approach to the IAS provides frequent and timely data on key trends keeping resource usage and provider load to acceptable levels, particularly for the smaller ISPs.

Data are released approximately 3 months after the end of the reference period.

ACCURACY

As the IAS does not have a sample component, the data are not subject to sampling variability. However, other inaccuracies, collectively referred to as non-sampling errors, may affect the data. These non-sampling errors may arise from a number of sources, including:

errors in the reporting of data by respondents;

errors in capturing or processing data;

estimation for missing or misreported data; and,

definition and classification errors.

Every effort has been made to reduce non-sampling error to a minimum by careful design and testing of questionnaires, efficient operating procedures and systems, appropriate methodology and contact with providers to resolve anomalies. Response rates are generally very high for the IAS which in turn increases the accuracy and level of the data which can be released for users. Thorough editing of the data received is undertaken to ensure that the integrity of the collection is upheld.

The ability of ISPs to report volumes of data downloaded is variable. Data presented for this item should only be considered as an indicative measure of internet activity during the reference period and therefore should be used with caution.

COHERENCE

Content of the IAS has evolved continuously since the commencement of the survey in 2001, so data items are not always comparable over time. This has mainly been due to the take up of new technologies which previously did not exist, e.g. dial-up replaced by broadband, higher access speeds, the emergence of mobile wireless access technology.

The number of ISPs reporting to the IAS does not necessarily equal the number of ISPs operating in Australia at the end of the reference period. Some ISPs have common ownership and as such provide data for all subsidiary ISPs on the one survey form. This should be taken into consideration when comparing the count of ISPs from the IAS to other data sources.

The IAS covers the supply side of the internet market, whereas the following ABS collections cover the demand side of the internet market and should not be directly compared:

The Use of Information Technology on Farms (FUIT)(cat. no. 8150.0) collection focuses on the demand side among farms. It reports on internet use for business purposes by farms with an estimated value of agricultural operations (EVAO) of $5,000 or more; and,

Active subscribers are defined as subscribers having accounts with ISPs who have accessed the internet or paid for access to the internet as at the end of the reference period. Counts of subscribers are not the same as counts of people/organisations with internet access because subscribers may have accounts with more than one ISP. Conversely, a single ISP subscriber account may provide internet access (or email addresses) for multiple people/organisations, for example universities.

ACCESSIBILITY

All available data from the IAS are released in datacubes on the ABS website.

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